QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Crime Prevention
September 17, 2024
Senator Gold, Montreal is our home. Like you, I love our city, but I am increasingly worried that people in the city are not feeling as safe as they should. This is also the case in other major cities across the country.
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute released a report today on violent crime in urban centres. Its authors analyzed 10 years of police-reported violent crime data in nine major cities. One of the conclusions is that certain crimes — most notably, sexual assault and robbery — are rising nearly everywhere. What is the federal government doing to support major cities across Canada in addressing this troubling trend? What investments have been made in crime-prevention programming?
Thank you, senator, for your question.
Police across the country are continuing to collaborate across jurisdictions to tackle this challenge. The Government of Canada is supporting their work through multiple investments, such as $121 million to Ontario through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence; $28 million to support the work of CBSA, the Canada Border Services Agency, and to strengthen our borders against stolen vehicle exports; and $50 million to support police coordination across jurisdictions, including internationally.
This is in addition to the National Crime Prevention Strategy, an integral part of the federal government’s efforts to tackle crime and to build safer communities. With an investment of $63 million annually, the National Crime Prevention Strategy assists communities in developing projects that will reduce crime by reducing the personal, social and economic factors that lead some individuals to commit criminal acts.
In your assessment, what role could the federal government play in streamlining data collection and ensuring uniform reporting requirements in a shared nationwide database?
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute, or MLI, report also documents the challenges of collecting, verifying and analyzing urban violent crime data in Canada. It argues that the publication of consistent, transparent and timely crime data is essential and necessary.
Thank you for your question. My understanding is that Statistics Canada is working on several initiatives to better streamline data collection. These include initiatives such as working with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to collect data, through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, on the Indigenous and racialized identity of all victims and accused persons involved in criminal incidents.
